What did coach Kim Sang Sik say?

The Vietnamese national team lost 1-3 away to Iraq in the final match of the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region. This result was not surprising, as the opposing team was considered the stronger side, as evidenced by their superior head-to-head record. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese team still left a positive impression with their fighting spirit and unwavering effort.

Speaking to the media after the match, coach Kim Sang Sik expressed regret that the harsh summer weather conditions in Basra did not favor the game, making it difficult for players from both teams to play on the field.

Coach Kim Sang Sik believes the Vietnamese players tried their best (Photo: VFF).

Furthermore, before the match, the situation in Group F was already settled after Indonesia's 2-0 victory over the Philippines, which also had a certain impact on the players' morale. However, the South Korean coach still affirmed the determination and clear objectives of the Vietnamese national team.

Coach Kim Sang Sik said: “The Vietnamese national team players were truly eager to win, and we went into the match with that goal in mind. We tried our best to win and prepared thoroughly for the match. But we were unsuccessful against a stronger Iraq. We are a little disappointed, but we did our best.”

Therefore, having failed to advance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Vietnamese national team will have to participate in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers to compete for a ticket to the finals, which will take place in Saudi Arabia.

The third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers will begin in March 2025 with the participation of 24 teams divided into 6 groups of 4 teams each, playing in a double round-robin format to determine points. The top 6 teams in each group will qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals along with 18 teams that qualified directly from the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Source: https://vov.vn/the-thao/hop-bao-sau-tran-dt-iraq-3-1-dt-viet-nam-hlv-kim-sang-sik-noi-gi-post1100958.vov